A Veil of Love
by Lyeza
Summary: Will a twist of fate in the form of Sakura and Touya helps Prince Syaoran and Princess Meiling to avoid their engagement to each other? S+S, M+T
1. A Twist of Fate

Veil of Love  
  
by Lyeza  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in CCS. All of them belong to Clamp.  
  
  
  
Hi!I really should give myself a break from writing fanfics but I still can't resist this one. This is going to be another s+s. However, there will be Meiling+Touya. If you don't like the couple, please don't read. This is the first time I'm doing a medieval setting (the closest being the regency setting in The Lady in You).  
  
  
  
About the story: Syaoran, the Prince of Li Kingdom, is arranged to be married to a distant relative, Princess Meiling. They have not met for about 18 years and now that they are both 20, Meiling is expected to go to the Li Kingdom to prepare for their arranged marriage. Will a twist of fate let the reluctant couple escape this dreaded marriage?  
  
Read on to find out.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Twist of Fate  
  
  
  
Meiling sighed as the carriage continued its journey through the forest. Somewhere at the end of the forest, laid a kingdom-the Li Kingdom. Its vast wealth and invincible fortress were well-known throughout the whole region. Many would love to be a part of such kingdom but not Meiling who was dreading every minute that brought her closer to her destiny.  
  
"Li Syaoran," Meiling thought with distaste, her mind drifted to her would-be husband. The last time they had ever met was when they were two- years old and Meiling could not remember even a single thing about him.Only their parents had corresponded with one another.  
  
"Is there a way to get out of this marriage?" she wondered, trying desperately to think of a way to escape this farce. "When I marry, I want it to be for love and not for power or to increase wealth. I want someone to love me without reservations. Is that too much to ask?" she wondered, a solitary tear slipped down her cheeks. She was miserable to be in such a situation. Suddenly, the carriage stopped.  
  
"Huh?" Meiling managed as she was jerked back to her seat when the carriage abruptly stopped. "Have we arrived already?" she wondered as she waited for the coachman to open the door for her. After a while, she heard shouting outside the carriage and unable to stand the suspense any longer, she opened the door and stepped out.  
  
"What is the shouting all about?" she demanded furiously. Everyone stopped and turned to her.  
  
"Princess," her escort whispered as he looked at her with horror. Meiling looked at him and a group of shabbily dressed men who were making their way towards her.  
  
It was then she realised what was going on. "Oh god," Meiling whispered when she saw her coachman lying in a bloody pool. She stared at the a group of five men.  
  
"Oh look! Who do we have here?" one of the men leered.  
  
"Stay away from our princess," her escort warned the men.  
  
"Why should we listen to you?" the man asked. Before he could reach her though, her escort tackled the man to the ground. Stunned, Meiling stood unmoving as she watched her escort tried to defend her from the robbers.  
  
"Run, princess!" her escort ordered just before he was kicked. Meiling turned to run but fell, the tiara that she was wearing too fell off her head.  
  
She struggled to stand up and stared at the men in disbelief. "No. This can't be happening," Meiling whispered, unable to believe this turn of event. Then recovering from her shock, she ran towards the men.  
  
"No one hurts any of my people," she said as she fought the men. She had been trained at martial arts eversince she was five and she was not going to put it to waste now. A tough battle ensued for a while but it was clear that Meiling and her escort did not stand a chance against the five men.  
  
"Run away from here," her escort ordered as he took her hand and dragged her away. Suddenly, one of the man struck him in the back, causing him to cry in pain and fell.  
  
"No!" Meiling cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"Now, who's going to protect you from us," one of the men asked as they circled her.  
  
  
  
"Can life get any duller than this?" he wondered. He was on his way to visit his sister and had to pass through the forest to reach her house. Suddenly, he heard a blood-curling scream. "Robbery," he realised and quickly guided his horse towards the direction of scream. It was then he saw a young lady trying to defend herself against five men.  
  
"She's good," he observed but he knew despite her attempts, she would not be able to defend herself much longer.  
  
"Stop!" he shouted. The five men then shifted their attention to him.  
  
Meiling watched as a handsome young man galloped towards them. "Thank god," she whispered.  
  
"Stay away from the lady," the man said, getting off his horse.  
  
"And why should we?" one of the robber asked.  
  
Without another word, Touya removed his sword and took on a fighting stance. "You either let her go or else......," he warned.  
  
"Ooooh...We are so scared," the leader mocked in a high voice. Then glaring at Touya menacingly, he ordered, "Finish him off at once." Touya cursed under his breath and defended himself against the men. He was much more experienced in battling but they had an advantage in terms of numbers. Touya stabbed one of the robbers who was nearer to him and then cried out in pain when another robber struck him with a whip. Touya gritted his teeth in pain and turned to the robber.  
  
"Look out!" a female voice shouted. An instant later, he felt the air knocked out of him as someone pushed him to the ground. He blinked in surprise and looked up.  
  
"Are you alright?" the lady asked as she blocked the attack from the two robbers. Touya nodded, baffled. He looked around and noticed that three of the robber had already been killed. "Do you think you can give me a hand here?" the lady snapped at Touya.  
  
For a while, Touya just stared at her, surprised. No one, especially young ladies ever spoke to him in such way, and now a complete stranger had practically scolded him. "You seem to be doing a fine job by yourself," he drawled.  
  
"Ugh," Meiling growled. She was tiring already and this man who was earlier helping her, was acting as if this was nothing but a big joke. If she was not so busy trying to defend the blows that the two men were sending her, she would have glared at him. "Ow," Meiling cried when a blade touched her shoulder. Trying to stop the tears of pain stinging her eyes, Meiling tried to concentrate on the fight. Suddenly, the sword that she was holding on to dropped. "That's it," she thought, resigned. She looked at the triumphant face of the two men and then closed her eyes as she waited for her doom.  
  
"Aaaggghh!" shouts were heard. Meiling opened her eyes in confusion. In front of her, she could see the two men who were previously attacking lying on the ground. Behind them, Touya was smiling at her.  
  
"Piece of cake," he said.  
  
"You gave me quite a scare!" Meiling shouted at him as she stormed over to him.  
  
Touya raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you thank a person who just saved your life?" he asked.  
  
It was then Meiling realised that she did not even know who this person was. "Um, who are you, sir?" she asked.  
  
"I am Kinomoto Touya from the nearby kingdom," Touya answered.  
  
"Thanks, Kinomoto, for saving my life. I best get going," Meiling said as she turned to walk away.  
  
"But wait!" Touya called. Touya went to catch up with her. "Who are you?"  
  
"None of your business," she snapped.  
  
Touya stared at her in surprise. "This woman sure is weird," he thought. Usually, women he had met tried their best to flirt with him and gained his attention but this woman...................."Is just plain weird," he thought. He ran towards her again and stood in front of her.  
  
"What do you want now, sir?" she asked, looking unhappy and very exasperated.  
  
"I must be losing my touch," Touya thought. There was not even a spark of interest in her eyes when she looked at him.  
  
"Where are you going? Do you even have an escort with you?" he asked, worriedly. He did not know why, but he was worried about her welfare.  
  
Meiling gasped. Both her coachman and escort had been killed by the robbers. "Oh no! What am I going to do now?" she wondered despairingly.  
  
"Are you alright?" Touya asked when he saw her irritated expression turned into a troubled one. He followed her gaze and saw a two uniformed men lying in a bloody heap.  
  
"They are supposed to send me to the L......," Meiling started but stopped when a plan came to mind. She should be upset but she realised that she was just given a chance to get away from her unwanted marriage to Prince Li.  
  
"Send you to where?" Touya asked.  
  
"Um," Meiling began, her mind whirling with possibilities. "Maybe I can convinced this man to bring me to Town of Shinkuro. My friend, Tomoyo, lives there. I can live with her and find work there," she thought. For her, she would rather live a simple life than trapped in a cold atmosphere that boasted of luxury and power. "Send me to uh Town of Shingkuro," Meiling lied.  
  
"That's quite a distance away," Touya remarked, looking at her closely.  
  
"Yes. I'm visiting my friend there," she said.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"I'm Pri.....I am Meiling," Meiling answered, almost blurting out that she was a princess.  
  
For a moment, Touya just stared at her dubiously. "And you want to visit your friend?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. Her parents are unwell and I need to visit them," Meiling added, trying her best to look convincing.  
  
"Where do you live?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
Meiling's eyes narrowed. "I have to go," she said and walked away.  
  
"Alone?" Touya asked in disbelief.  
  
"I don't have anyone else with me," Meiling pointed out. Touya grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away.  
  
"You can't go alone. Its dangerous for a woman to travel alone," Touya protested.  
  
"I don't seem to have much of a choice, do I?" Meiling pointed out wryly.  
  
"But," Touya said, indecision marred his face. He wanted to visit his sister but he also wanted to make sure Meiling was safe. He did not know why he felt this unquenchanable need to protect her but he was not about to question it at the moment. He stared at the lady before him and came up with a decision. "I'll bring you there," he decided.  
  
Meiling's eyes widened with delight and gratitude. "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Touya nodded. "I guess I visit Sakura after I send Meiling to her friend's house," he thought.  
  
"Then, let's go," she said. Her lie had worked and he had no idea that she was a princess.  
  
Touya then released one of her horse that was tied to the coach. "Come on," he said climbing up his horse. Meiling climbed up her own horse. "The town is a few days journey from here and I don't want to be stuck with you much longer than that," he remarked.  
  
  
  
An hour later,  
  
Sakura was riding through the forest when a group of men lying dead on the ground caught her attention. "What happened here?" she wondered, slowing the horse. She climbed down the horse and looked around. It was then a sword caught her attention. She went over to it and picked it up.  
  
"Touya's," she breathed, recognising the sword. A thorough glance around her showed that Touya wasn't one of the men killed. "What has happened to him?" she wondered worriedly. She knew Touya must have come to visit her. Hastily, she jumped onto her horse and rode it as fast as she could. As she turned around the bend, her eyes widened when she saw that she was riding straight into a stationary carriage. She pulled back her horse to slow it down but it was too late. As the horse stopped abruptly, Sakura was thrown off her horse. "No!" Sakura shouted as she fell heavily beside the carriage. Her last conciousness was an image of a tiara right in front of her before her world finally turned black.  
  
  
  
  
  
In the Li's Kingdom,  
  
Yelan was pacing back and forth in the hall. "I hope they are alright," she prayed. Meiling was expected to arrive three hours ago but there was no sign of her yet. An hour ago, she had ordered some of her men to look for her.  
  
"Your highness!" someone called. One of the men she had sent ran into the hall.  
  
Yelan turned to him expectantly. "Is she here?" she asked.  
  
"She is safe but it seems that they were attacked by a gang of robbers," the man explained.  
  
"What?" Yelan exclaimed, alarmed.  
  
"Both her escort and coachman were killed but Princess Meiling is safe. We found her unconcious beside the carriage with the tiara in her hands," the man continued.  
  
"Send her to the room and get a doctor," she ordered and walked out of the hall.  
  
  
  
  
  
Two hours later,  
  
Sakura opened her eyes to see unfamiliar faces peering down at her. She made an effort to sit up.  
  
"No. Just lie down and rest, alright," a gentle voice said to her. Sakura looked at her uncertainly.  
  
"Who are you?" she croaked.  
  
"I am Yelan, Queen of the Li Kingdom," Yelan answered, smiling.  
  
Her expression still confused, she asked, "Who am I?"  
  
The questions caused everyone in the room to be apprehensive. "You can't remember?" Yelan asked.  
  
Sakura shook her head, fear and uncertainty mirrored in her eyes. "Who am I?" she repeated.  
  
"You are Princess Meiling. The future bride of our Prince Li," Yelan answered gesturing to an enigmatic man who was standing by the window and looking at Sakura with an unreadable look on his face.  
  
"Princess? Bride?" Sakura repeated, completely bewildered.  
  
  
  
To be continued........................................... 


	2. Sakura?

Veil of Love  
  
by Lyeza  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in CCS. All of them belongs to Clamp.  
  
This is an S+S fic but there is also Meiling +Touya. So if you don't like M+T, please don't read this story.  
  
Hi, everybody! Its really wonderful of you to review my first chapter. Thank you very much. I hope you will enjoy this chapter too.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Sakura?  
  
  
  
Garden in Li Kingdom,  
  
"I can't believe I'm a princess. Somehow, I don't think its my role at all," Sakura said as she walked beside Syaoran who seemed to be ignoring her the whole time they were together.  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes. She had been saying that since she regained conciousness yesterday and its driving him out of his mind.  
  
"I don't think I'm a princess at all. My life should be much more simpler than this," Sakura continued her one-sided conversation.  
  
"Ugh," Syaoran thought as he walked even faster, leaving Sakura behind to catch up with him.  
  
"Wait!" Sakura called as she ran closer to him. Syaoran stopped and turned to her with an annoyed expression on his face. "Why are you walking so fast?" Sakura asked, confused.  
  
Syaoran sighed. "This princess is too dense to know that she's irritating me," he thought. In the first place, he had no intention to marry Princess Meiling but he knew he had to honour the agreement his parents had made with hers. Yesterday, when she still had not arrived for about three hours, he was so delighted. He thought that maybe the princess had decided not to honour the agreement. Later she did arrive and even worst, she was attacked by robbers and lost her memory. Had she not lost her memory he would have brought her aside the moment she arrived and made a deal with her on breaking their engagement. Now, he was unable to do so. He recalled what his mother had said to him yesterday.  
  
"Syaoran, Meiling is going to have a tough time here. She cannot remember much about herself and her family and to make matters worst, she is in a totally unfamiliar environment here," Yelan had said to him. Syaoran had interrupted her by telling his mother to send Meiling back to her family where she would have a better chance to recover her memory. Then his mother had chastised him saying that it was now his duty to help her as her fiance. Now, here he was being stuck with the woman who was so sure she was someone else.  
  
"Prince Syaoran, are you alright?" Sakura asked waving her hand in front of his face.  
  
Syaoran blinked and then looked away.  
  
"Are you alright?" Sakura asked again, concerned.  
  
"I'm fine," Syaoran said.  
  
"You're sure?" Sakura asked, her worry still evident in her eyes.  
  
"How many times must I tell you that I'm fine?" Syaoran burst out. Sakura took a step back, surprised by the force in his voice.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She looked down but not before Syaoran noticed hurt expression.  
  
Guilt washed over him no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. Syaoran sighed. He knew his fiancee was just showing concern towards him and did not deserve the treatment he had given her. He cupped her chin and pushed her head back slightly so that she would look at him. "No. I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry. That was unjust of me to shout at you," he apologised.  
  
Sakura's eyes widened at his kind words. She smiled. "Its alright," she said.  
  
Syaoran stared at her. "She's beautiful," he thought absently. Then he frowned and abruptly turned away. "Come on," he said as he took her hand and pulled her away.  
  
They continued their walk around the garden. Suddenly, he stopped. "Sakura....," he whispered.  
  
Sakura instinctively looked up at him. "Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Huh?" Syaoran said, looking down at her, who was staring at him expectantly.  
  
"What is it you want to say to me?" Sakura asked.  
  
"I wasn't saying anything to you," Syaoran said.  
  
"But.....," Sakura started, confused.  
  
Syaoran pointed to the trees in front of him. "Sakura trees," he explained.  
  
Sakura, however, wasn't listening to him. "Sakura," she whispered. Somehow that name sounded so familiar to her. Images of people calling her Sakura flitted across her mind. Syaoran took a step forward but Sakura grabbed his hand to stop him.  
  
"Sakura. I think that's my name, Prince Syaoran. It seems so........so right," Sakura said enthusiastically.  
  
Syaoran turned to her. The annoyed look on his face was back. "You are Princess Meiling, not Sakura," he said curtly. "We found you beside the carriage after you were attacked by the gang of robbers. You must have fallen during the attack and hit your head rather hard."  
  
"But," Sakura protested.  
  
"You are Princess Meiling," Syaoran repeated more forcefully. Then his eyes narrowed as he said, "You know something, princess. I think you have not lost your memory after all. Maybe its just an act to escape from this marriage. You pretend you have lost your memory and then try to convince people you are someone else so that you will be free and not get married to me." His voice getting more bitter. "I applaud your pluck, princess. I have never thought of doing such a scheme. Do you find me that abhorrent that you will resort to this to escape marriage with me, princess?" Syaoran asked. He did not know why but the idea of this princess trying to avoid being married to him upset him. By right, he should be happy that they both hated this match but apparently, he did not hate this match after all. He would not go as far to say that he would love the match but he did not find it repulsive at all as he initially felt.  
  
Sakura stared at Syaoran, wide-eyed. She was really shocked to hear the conclusion that he had arrived at. It was so outlandish that Sakura wanted to laugh at his erroneous conclusion. "His eyes," Sakura thought absently. "I can see disappointment and regret in his eyes," she observed. It was then she realised that he really believed that she was trying to escape marriage by pretending to be someone else and that it hurt him. "But I'm sure I'm being called Sakura before," she thought. Her troubled thoughts were however interrupted by Syaoran.  
  
"You don't have to go to such lengths. You can just tell straight to me that you don't want to honour our parents' agreement and I would have very much appreciated it. Come on, let's go back and I'll explain to my mother about this," Syaoran said regretfully. Deep inside, he was upset that they were breaking the engagement even before they tried to make it work. He turned to walk back to the palace.  
  
"No, wait!" Sakura called. "I'm not pretending, Prince Syaoran. I am not trying to escape marriage from you. Honest," she said earnestly. She stood in front of him and said, "Its just that its really difficult and frustrating not to have any memories of myself at all and when you said 'Sakura' I am very sure that I was called that before." Syaoran gazed down at her. She was looking down at the ground.  
  
"I'm sorry, princess," he whispered. "I guess I jumped to conclusion just now," he admitted. "Are you happy with this engagement? If you don't, we can go to my mother and stop it now," Syaoran asked. He held his breath as he waited for her reply.  
  
Sakura pondered about it for a while. She would love to gain back her memory and discover who she really was. A part of her had doubts about her being a princess. She looked at Syaoran closely. His expression was guarded but she could not miss the expectant look on his face. "I'm willing to give this engagement a try," she said, smiling at him as she stuggled to ignore the doubt that was bothering her.  
  
"I'm honoured," Syaoran said humbly.  
  
"But the name....," Sakura's voice trailed off. She turned to Syaoran, trying to make him understand something she was not so sure herself.  
  
"You are sure someone called you that before?" Syaoran asked. Sakura nodded. Syaoran was silent for a while and then he suggested, "Maybe that's your nickname."  
  
"Nickname," Sakura repeated.  
  
"Yes. Maybe your family prefer to call you Sakura instead of Meiling," he said. Then he added softly, "It suits you."  
  
"It does?" Sakura asked. Syaoran nodded. "You are probably right. It is probably an endearment," she said thoughtfully. Then she asked, "Will you call me Sakura?"  
  
Syaoran blushed. "If you want me too," he mumbled as he looked away.  
  
"Of course I want you too," Sakura answered.  
  
"Very well, Sakura," Syaoran said, smiling.  
  
"Thank you," Sakura whispered.  
  
Then he offered his hand to her and said, "We need to go back to the palace. Its almost lunch now."  
  
"Alright," Sakura said reluctantly. She enjoyed this special moment that she had with Syaoran. Hand in hand, they walked back to the palace.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile,  
  
  
  
Touya glanced back at Meiling who was riding her horse slightly slower than him. "Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," Meiling said, moving slightly faster to keep up with him. Touya, however, noticed that she was gritting her teeth as though trying to contain her pain and perspirations were forming on her forehead.  
  
"Are you sure?"he asked, worriedly as he slowed his horse down.  
  
"I said I'm fine," Meiling bit out.  
  
Touya held up his hands and said, "Hey! I'm just concern about you. You don't have to give me the attiude."  
  
"I'm sorry," Meiling said, realising how churlish she was behaving. She was exhausted and and the wound on her shoulder was getting more painful. A while ago, Touya had helped her wrapped a bandage around the wound but now it was already soaking with blood. Tears of pain were clouding her vision.  
  
Touya turned to her again and realised that she looked as if she was going to fall off her horse any minute. He stopped. "Meiling," he called worriedly.  
  
"Don't worry about me. I can manage," she said weakly. She was looking very pale.  
  
"Try to hold on for a longer while, alright? There's a house nearby. I know the family who lives there and I'm sure they will let us rest there for the night," Touya explained as he continued to glance back at her every few seconds.  
  
"Why don't we just go straight to the Town of Shinkuro. I'm sure we can arrive there soon," Meiling said.  
  
Touya stopped and turned to her in surprise. "How far do you think the town is from here?" he asked.  
  
"I have no idea. I guess we should be reaching there in an hour or two," Meiling answered.  
  
Touya stared at her. "You are so ignorant and to think you want to go there by yourself. The town is at least a week journey from here," he scoffed.  
  
Meiling stiffened. "I would have asked for direction," Meiling said defensively.  
  
"And a lot of good it will do. A young lady who is lost asking for direction to the Town of Shinkuro from people who will most likely take advantage of her," Touya said. "You might as well ask for a death sentence."  
  
"I am not that naive," Meiling protested. She was about to protest more when she felt even more dizzy and struggled to stay on the horse.  
  
"Just hang on. I think I can see the house from here," Touya said as he pointed towards a small house in the distant.  
  
"Let's go," Meiling whispered, trying hard to ignore the pain.  
  
  
  
In the barn,  
  
"This is not exactly princess material," Meiling whispered as she held a stack of hay in her hands. The family had been more than willing to let them stay in their small cottage. They had even offered their room to Meiling and Touya but Touya had firmly refused, saying that they would be perfectly comfortable sleeping in the barn.  
  
"But I don't mind sleeping here. At least I get to escape my marriage with Li Syaoran," she murmured. She wondered what was going on in the kingdom. "There might be havoc. Queen Yelan might even inform my parents. My parents will be heartbroken," she thought unhappily. She knew she was being selfish but she thought it was more selfish to force someone into marriage just so that it will benefit both parties in terms of wealth and power. "I'll send them a letter once I have arrived at the town," she decided.  
  
"Send who a letter?" Touya asked. It was then Meiling realised that she had been too caught up with her own thoughts that she did not noticed Touya had entered the barn.  
  
"Nobody," Meiling replied hastily.  
  
Touya sat in front of her and observed her closely. "Why are you secretive?" he asked.  
  
"Why are you such a busybody?" Meiling countered.  
  
Touya sighed. "I really must be losing my touch," he thought. Usually, women would talk endlessly about themselves to him so that they would impress him and gain his notice. None of that ever worked. This lady, however, was hiding so much secrets from him and as a gentleman, he should respect her privacy but he really wanted to know more about her. He noticed she had the defensive, guarded look on her face again; the look that she seemed to give him everytime he wanted to ask about her. He decided not to press her more for more information. "I hope you are fine with the idea of sleeping in the barn," he said. "I have prepared two makeshift beds for us," he added, gesturing to the 'beds' made of hay.  
  
"I'm fine with it. Its not fair to let our host give up their beds for us," Meiling agreed though she was wary of having to sleep there. Back at home, her bed was so big and cushioned that she always ended up being swallowed by the cushions. "I do not want to live life as a princess anymore and I should get used to this," she reminded herself mentally.  
  
"By the way, how's your wound?" Touya asked.  
  
"Our hostess helped me to get it cleaned and then put ointment on it," Meiling said. "She's really nice," she added referring to the hostess.  
  
"The whole family are. I aways visit them when I come here," Touya said. "We will be leaving early in the morning tomorrow," he stated. Then he took out a small bottle.  
  
"What's that?" Meiling asked cautiously.  
  
"Brandy," he answered.  
  
"Where did you get that?" she asked.  
  
"I always bring a bottle around," he answered.  
  
"Don't tell me you drink," Meiling said accusingly.  
  
"Of course not," Touya said, looking offended. "But it helps to keep your body temperature warmer especially when its very cold at night," he explained.  
  
"It does?" Meiling said, clearly not believing what he had said.  
  
Touya gave her a frustrated look. "Where have you been living all this while? In a shell?" he asked.  
  
"Excuse me for being so naive," Meiling said stiffly.  
  
Touya held the bottle to her. "You need to drink this. Its going to be very cold at night, especially since we are sleeping in the barn. It will help to keep you warm," he offered.  
  
"No thanks. I have never drank that before and its not about to start now," Meiling refused.  
  
"You won't be able to sleep. You'll be shivering throughout the night. You should at least have a sip," Touya warned.  
  
"I don't want to get drunk," Meiling protested.  
  
"You won't get drunk with just one sip," Touya countered as he took a sip of the brandy.  
  
"Forget it. I'm sure the blankets will be sufficient enough to keep me warm," Meiling said.  
  
Touya grinned at her. "Suit yourself. I will leave the bottle here if you change your mind," he said and then sank onto his makeshift bed.  
  
"I'm sure I won't change my mind," Meiling mumbled as she tried to sleep.  
  
  
  
Two hours later,  
  
Meiling sat up and groaned. She's been trying to sleep but to no avail. "This place is just too cold. I feel like ice," she thought, pulling the blankets tighter around her. She glanced at Touya who was already asleep.  
  
"Lucky you," she thought snidely. Then she turned her attention to the bottle of brandy nearby.  
  
"I really have to sleep. Does what Kinomoto says is true? Will it help to keep me warm?" she wondered. She reached out and gingerly took the bottle. Then she glanced back at Touya. He seemed to be sleeping so soundly. "I guess he must be right," she thought.  
  
She held up at the bottle. It was still full since Touya only took a sip of it. "I guess one sip won't hurt," she reasoned. She took a sip. "Not bad," Meiling thought as she tasted it.  
  
"Maybe I should take another sip," she decided, taking yet another sip.  
  
  
  
After a while,  
  
Touya woke up to the sound of a glass bottle crashing to the floor. "What happened?" he mumbled as he sat up. Then his eyes widened. "Meiling?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"Brandy sure is nice, isn't it," Meiling drawled drunkenly.  
  
Touya stared at her and then at the smashed glasses on the floor. "You drank the whole bottle?" he exclaimed in shock.  
  
  
  
  
  
To be continued...............................................  
  
  
  
Oooh. Meiling will definitely have a hangover the next morning? Will they be able to continue on their journey to the Town of Shinkuro? And will Sakura ever get her memory back? What will happen when she found out about her true identity?  
  
Stay tuned for the next chapter.  
  
  
  
I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. I know its a bit weird to make Sakura thinks that 'Sakura' is her nickname but I don't want Syaoran to start calling her Meiling. shiver Imagine if he were to say to Sakura "I love you, Meiling". Aaah! Its going to drive me nuts.  
  
Anyway, the thing about brandy or any wine being able to keep you warm is true. Poor Touya.....A drunk Meiling should be quite hard to handle. ^_^  
  
Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. 


	3. When a princess gets drunk...

Veil of Love

by Lyeza

Disclaimer: None of the characters in Card Captor Sakura belongs to me. All of them belong to Clamp.

Chapter 3: When a princess gets drunk...

Touya and Meiling

            "You drank the whole bottle?" Touya exclaimed. He looked worriedly at the drunken girl who was grinning at him.

            "You...hic… ask me...to...hic...drink," Meiling said between hiccups. She had a glassy look on her face.

            "Not the whole bottle," Touya said with a frown. He stood up. "You're definitely going to have a hangover tomorrow," he remarked as he ran his hand through his hair. "Go to bed, Meiling. I'll clean up the mess," he ordered.

            Meiling pouted. "But I'm not...hic...sleepy," she protested.

            "Go to bed," Touya ordered, trying to drag her to her bed. 

            "No," Meiling cried as she pulled her hand away.

            With a sigh, Touya lifted her and purposefully brought her to her own bed. For a while, Meiling struggled to get free of him. "Let me go," she cried but Touya held on to her tightly.

            "No," he answered curtly.

            "I order you to...hic… put me down. Don't you know that...hic... I'm a princess. You must not disobey me," Meiling ordered.

            Touya stopped and loosened his hold slightly to look down at her. "Princess?" he asked, raising his eyebrows quizzically. 

            Meiling seized the opportunity to break free of him and run away.

            "Hey, come back here," he shouted as he ran after the drunken Meiling.

            "No," Meiling refused as she continued to escape him.

            "You're impossible," Touya muttered.

            Meiling stopped and faced him, her hands on her hips. "Nobody addresses... hic... a princess in that... hic... way," she informed indignantly.

            Touya sighed as he strode towards her. "Yeah, right," he said. 

            "It is true," Meiling announced in a slur.

            "Trust every girl to think that she is a princess," he added. Just as he was about to grab her, Meiling ran away from him again. 

            "Ugh," Touya thought. He badly wanted to go back to sleep. They were going to have a long journey ahead of them tomorrow. He cursed himself for letting this disaster to happen.

            "You can't...hic... catch me," Meiling announced in what Touya can described to be in a taunting manner.

            "That's what you think," he countered. "Enough of this game," he decided. Swiftly, he moved over to her and wrapped his arms tightly over her waist.

            "Hey," Meiling cried, trying to get away from him.

            "Enough playing, Meiling," he said, smirking. Suddenly, Meiling did something that totally stunned him. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him.

            "What the..." Touya started before Meiling silenced him with a kiss. For a moment, Touya was too stunned by her actions that he did not know what to do. By the time he understood the impact of what had happened, he was already too lost in the kiss to pull away. He pulled her even closer to him and tightened his hold on her. For Meiling, who had forgotten all sorts of reservations, responded with even more ardor. It was her passionate respond to him that sounded the alarm in Touya's mind. Abruptly, he stopped and pulled away from her.

            "No," Meiling murmured as she tried to stop him from doing so.

            "Enough, Meiling," Touya said sternly as he tried to keep his distance from her. He's a man of honour and he was not about to take advantage of an innocent albeit drunken lady.

            "But," Meiling protested.

            "No," Touya repeated. "Go and sleep," he ordered.

            "I don't want to sleep," Meiling cried.

            "Just go to sleep," he said, exasperation in his voice. He was trying to avoid contact with her for he was aware of what could happen if he lost control.

            "Hmmmp," Meiling said as she turned away.

            "How did I ever get into this kind of mess?" he wondered as he ran after her. He spun her around to face him. "Now, listen here..."he began but stopped when Meiling spoke.

            "Kinomoto," she whispered before her eyes fluttered close. Fortunately, Touya was able to catch her before she fell to the ground. 

            "You're nothing but trouble, you know that," he said with a sigh. However, as he settled her gently onto her bed, he knew he did not mind any of the troubles she had caused him. Touya frowned. He stared down at her sleeping form. "I have to keep my distance from her. If I'm not careful, she can just ease her way into my heart and that is something that I'm not willing to let happen," he thought.

            "Perfect. Now I can't sleep," he muttered as he laid back on his makeshift bed. He stared at the ceiling of the barn. This was going to be a long night.

The next day,

            Touya woke up to the sound of someone groaning not so far away from him. He turned and to his amusement, he saw Meiling with a look of anguish on her face.

            "I feel horrible," she whispered almost painfully.

            Touya grinned. Meiling who did not miss the amused look on Touya's face scowled at him.

            "How are you feeling?" Touya asked gently.

            "I hate brandy," she said as she struggled to sit up.

            "You seem to enjoy it so much yesterday. You drank the whole bottle," Touya pointed out.

            "You tempted me into drinking," Meiling complained as she held her head tightly as though trying to will the pain away.

            "I did not ask you to finish the whole bottle," Touya countered.     

            "You could have stopped me," she wailed.

            "I was sleeping," Touya protested.

            "Well, I still think it was your fault," she said. Slowly, she stood up but the world seemed to be spinning around her.

            Touya quickly wrapped one arm around her waist to steady her. "Trust a lady to put all the blame on a man," he muttered.

            "My head hurts. I don't think I will ever drink brandy or any other kind of wine again," she said.

            "Come on. Let's go and get breakfast," he said. "Our hostess usually serves toasts and eggs when I visit here," he added.

            At that, Meiling's face turned a shade of green. "I don't think I can eat them," she rasped.

            "You need to eat. We will have a long journey today," Touya said.

            "Oh no," Meiling whispered as she allowed him to lead her to the kitchen.

            "It won't be that bad after you eat something," Touya comforted.

            "I hope so," Meiling said.

After breakfast,

            "Thank you for letting us stay for the night," Meiling said.

            "You're welcome. Have a safe journey to the Town of Shinkuro," the hostess said as she hugged Meiling. The whole family were outside the house, wanting to bid farewell to Touya and Meiling. "Don't forget to visit us again when you come here," she added.

            "I will," Touya agreed. "Thank you," he said. With a wave, he mounted on his horse and waited for Meiling to mount on her own horse. Meiling however seemed to be having trouble. Touya sighed. Apparently, the effect of brandy yesterday had still not left her. Reluctantly, he steered his horse towards her. Then he easily lifted her and placed her behind him even before Meiling could protest.

            "What do you think you're doing?" Meiling said; indignation laced in her voice. 

            "I doubt you can handle your own horse in your current state," Touya explained as he tied her horse behind his own. 

            "I am perfectly fine," Meiling protested.

            "You'll probably fall off your horse within seconds," Touya continued. Meiling kept silent. She knew he was right. Instead of arguing with him, she leaned closer to him and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes of traveling, Touya turned to Meiling. She had been uncharacteristically silent and it was then he realised that she was actually asleep. "Maybe, she'll get better once she woke up," Touya thought. He heard her sighed softly and snuggled even closer to him. Touya could feel himself blushing. "What the heck?" he thought as he felt his face turning hot. He could not understand why this lady affected him so much. Yesterday, when she kissed him, it took every ounce of his control to break away from her. "This cannot go on. She is just a person I'm stuck with for a while. All I have to do is send her to the Town of Shinkuro and then forget about her," he reminded himself. He was not going to let anyone into his heart. To him, he did not want to burden himself with another person. "I don't have time for love," he told himself. However, even as he said that, he could not help but feel that it was nice to have Meiling snuggled against his back.

            "Meiling," he whispered.

            "What is it?" Meiling asked.        

            Her voice almost caused him a heart attack. "Huh?" he managed.

            "Did you call me?" she asked.

            "No, no," Touya answered hastily. "I thought you were asleep," he said.

            "I was but I thought I heard you calling my name," Meiling answered.

            "I see," Touya said. No one said anything after a while.

            "Kinomoto," Meiling began almost hesitantly.

            "What is it?" Touya asked.

            "Did I do anything embarrassing yesterday?" she asked.

            Touya smiled. She sounded as though she was afraid of his answer. "What kind of action will you find embarrassing?" he asked back.

            "I don't know. Something that you might find silly," Meiling said.

            "No," Touya answered.

            "No?" Meiling asked.

            "No. You did not do anything silly," Touya answered.

            "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice sounded dubious. "What exactly did I do yesterday?" she asked.

            "You...uh...you..." Touya began.

            "I really did something stupid, didn't I?" Meiling said.        

            "Not really. You just ran around the barn and refusing to sleep," Touya said.

            "Just that?" she asked.

            "Uh, huh," Touya managed. It seemed that she did not remember the kiss. "It is just as well," he thought. He felt relieved that she had no memory of that but... there was a part of him that felt disappointed over that fact. "Get real, Touya. The last thing you need is for her to be aware of what had happened yesterday," he mentally chastised himself.

            "Touya," he heard Meiling called. Touya blinked. "What's wrong?" Meiling asked him.

            "What do you mean?" Touya asked.

            "You seemed so far away just now. What is bothering you?" he asked.

            "Nothing. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

            "Yes, though my head still hurts a little," Meiling replied.

            "I don't think we will be able to find an inn today. We probably have to camp today," Touya said.

            "I don't mind. Its a good thing we have some food with us," Meiling said. 

            "We are going to have one long journey ahead of us," Touya warned.

Sakura and Syaoran,

            "How do you find our kingdom, Princess Meiling?" Yelan asked. They were having breakfast together in the dining room.

            "Its beautiful. I'm sure I will love it here," Sakura replied honestly.

            "That's wonderful because in a few weeks time, you will be the queen of this kingdom," Feimei said.

            Sakura smiled though she felt slightly uncomfortable over the fact that she was going to get married soon.

            "Your parents will be joining us in two weeks time. I'm sure you are looking forward to meeting them," Yelan informed.

            "Yes," Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "Somehow, I just could not remember how they look like," she added sadly.

            "Don't worry, Meiling. I'm sure you will be able to recover your memory soon," Fanren said confidently.

            "I hope so," Sakura replied.

            Syaoran just watched as his fiancé conversed with his family. They seemed to like her very much. "Who wouldn't?" he thought absently. "She's just perfect. She's everything I could ask for in a wife and probably more," he thought.

            "Syaoran," Shiefa called, interrupting Syaoran from his reverie. Syaoran blinked. "You seem so absorbed in your own thoughts. I wonder what's in your mind?" she teased.

            "Its not what's, its who's on his mind," Fuutie piped in, causing the sisters to giggle. To his mortification, Syaoran blushed a deep shade of red.

            "Huh?" Sakura said, clueless.

            "So what are your plans for today?" Shiefa asked Sakura.

            "I'm not sure yet," Sakura admitted, stealing a glance at Syaoran. She wondered if she could spend some time with him again today. Syaoran, however, seemed to be too absorbed in finishing his breakfast to notice her. 

            "Can I please be excused?" Sakura asked once she had finished her breakfast. Yelan nodded, indicating her consent. 

            Just as Sakura was about to leave, Syaoran spoke up, "Sakura," he began.

            "Sakura?" everyone echoed as they gave Syaoran a look of confusion.

            "Yes, Prince Syaoran," Sakura replied. At that, all gaze shifted to Sakura.

            "If you need anything, I'll be at the study," he said.

            Sakura smiled at him, causing strange warmth to envelope him. "I'll keep that in mind," Sakura said and left.

            "Sakura?" Yelan asked Syaoran.

            "She seemed to think that its her nickname," Syaoran explained. 

            "Don't you think you're going to confuse her even more?" Feimei asked. "Meiling and Sakura are two very different names," she added.

            "She might think she's someone else," Fuutie said. Syaoran who did not want to spend any more time trying to explain something that he was not sure of explaining himself, abruptly stood up.

            "I have other matters to attend to," he said and with that, he immediately left.

            "Sakura..." he thought absently. "It suits her so much better than Meiling. No wonder she seems to be more comfortable with that name," he thought. He was on his way to the study. "Just like the flower, she's beautiful, sweet, innocent..." he started but immediately stopped when he realised where the direction of his thoughts was heading.

            "This is too much," he reminded himself. Ever since, she had arrived here, she constantly filled his thoughts and to him, it was rather daunting. "You are not supposed to think of her. This is just a marriage of convenience. I don't care for her at all. She's nothing to me," he said aloud. However, he could not help but admit that he was more than pleased with this engagement.

            "Enough of this, Li Syaoran. You have other pressing matters to attend to," he muttered as he entered the study. He would be crowned as the king in two weeks time and there were a lot of things that he had to take care of. With that in mind, he buried himself in his work as he tried to will all thoughts of a certain auburn-haired girl out of his mind. 

            After an hour, Syaoran threw his papers on his desk in frustration. "I can't seem to concentrate," he realised. Syaoran leaned back on his chair as he tried to collect his thoughts. He wondered what Sakura was doing right now. He imagined her in the garden; her face lit with admiration at her beautiful surrounding and her hair softly caressing her porcelain cheeks. Syaoran sat up. "She is a distraction. How am I going to live with this?" he wondered with dismay. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

            "Come in," Syaoran called.

            The door opened and Sakura entered. "Hello, Prince Syaoran," she greeted.

            "Sakura," he nodded. "Is there anything that I can help you with?" he asked. He was feeling strangely elated at the fact that she sought him out.

            "Are you busy?" she asked, as she approached him.

            "Why?" Syaoran asked back.

            "You seem really busy," she remarked when she saw the papers strewn all over his desk.

            "Why do you ask?" Syaoran repeated.

            "I was wondering if you're not busy..." Sakura started but her voiced trailed off. There was uncertainty in her eyes.

            "And..." Syaoran prodded.

            "I thought...I...uh...I wonder if you will like to join me for a picnic outside. The weather is wonderful today," she said.

            "A picnic?" Syaoran echoed.

            Sakura nodded. 

            Syaoran looked at the papers on his desk and then turned to Sakura who was looking at him uncertainly. He really had a lot of things to accomplish and could not afford to waste time on something as trivial as a picnic. However, as he looked at his fiancé opposite him, there was nothing he; a man almost twice her size, the future king to the most powerful kingdom ever existed; could do to deny her.

            "I'll love to," he said.

            "Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

            "Of course," Syaoran replied. He was already looking forward to spending more time with her.

            "Wonderful," Sakura exclaimed happily. "The cook has already packed some food for us," she said.

            "Pretty confident, aren't you?" he pointed out.

            Sakura laughed. "Come on. Today is just too nice to spend your day cooped up in this room," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the study.

            "Sakura..." Syaoran said as he tried to keep in pace with her.

During the picnic,

            "What is my family like?" Sakura asked after a while.

            "You don't remember anything about them?" Syaoran asked as he took a bite of the croissant.

            Sakura shook her head. 

            "I don't really know much about your family," Syaoran admitted. "The only time when I've seen them is when I was two," he added.

            "Oh," she said. "Do I have any siblings?" she asked.

            "No. You're an only child," he answered.

            Sakura buried her face in her hands. "I just can't seem to remember," she cried. "No matter how hard I tried to."

            Syaoran stared at the girl beside him. He understood her despair and frustration. He wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything would be fine but he was not sure what to do. Never in his life had he ever comforted someone nor had he ever attempted to do so. It pained him to see his fiancé miserable. Awkwardly, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

            "Shh," he whispered. "Everything will be alright," he said. "I'm sure it will."

            Sakura instinctively leaned against his shoulder. 

            "Don't worry about it, ok?" he said softly. Somehow, he liked having someone beside him; someone for him to care for, someone who wanted to rely on him.

            "I'm glad I have Syaoran," Sakura thought.

            "I'm glad I have you too," Syaoran replied. Sakura moved slightly away from him to look at him. It was then she realised she had spoken her thoughts aloud.

            "Prince Syao..." Sakura began but Syaoran interrupted her.

            "Just Syaoran," he amended.

            "Syaoran," she whispered. Syaoran's expression changed when he heard her whispered his name. His intense eyes searched hers. Then purposefully, he lowered his head to hers and captured her lips in a melting kiss.

Later in the afternoon,

            "Thanks for spending your time with me, Syaoran," Sakura said shyly.

            "Its my pleasure," he answered, looking away from her.

            "I'll see you during dinner then," she said and walked away.

            Syaoran watched her retreating form. "Why are you making me feel things that I never thought I can experience before? What have you done to me, Sakura?" he wondered.

            He lifted one hand and placed it over his heart. "Something has happened in my heart," he said softly.

            As Sakura walked to her own room, she heard someone called. "Princess Meiling," Shiefa called.

            Sakura turned. "What is it?" she asked.

            "This is yours," Shiefa said, handing Sakura a small bag.

            Sakura looked at Shiefa quizzically.

            "You were carrying this when we found you after the robbery," Shiefa explained.

            "Thank you, Shiefa," Sakura thanked and took the bag from Shiefa. 

            Shiefa smiled at her. "You're welcome. I've heard you have just returned from a picnic with Syaoran," she said.

            "Yes," Sakura said. Pink tinges stained her cheeks as she recalled the kiss she had shared with Syaoran.

            "Oh! You enjoy it, huh?" Shiefa asked, cheekily.

            Sakura's face turned as red as a ripe tomato causing Shiefa to laugh. "Something interesting must have happened," Shiefa realised. To Sakura, she said, "You go and get some rest. I'll see you during dinner, ok?"

            Sakura nodded and continued to walk to her room. "I wonder what I have in here," she said once she sat on her bed. Gingerly, she opened her bag and spilled its contents on her bed. "Cards?" she murmured in surprise. She took a card and read it. "Watery," she read. "Why do I have them?"

To be continued..........................


	4. Her Identity

Veil of Love

by Lyeza

Disclaimer: None of the characters in Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to me. They belong to CLAMP. 

Chapter 4: Her Identity

Sakura and Syaoran

            "Why do I have these cards?" Sakura wondered. It did not look like any of the normal cards. "Dash, Earth, Sweet..." Sakura read as she went through each card one by one. "Maybe it is somehow connected to my past. My past that I had forgotten," Sakura surmised, regretfully. She hated this feeling of helplessness. She was totally clueless about how she lived her life before and no one seemed to be able to help her much. Oh how, she wished her parents were here! 

            "Funny though, I can't seem to remember a single thing about my parents," Sakura said softly. For a while, Sakura just sat on her bed staring at the cards as she pondered on what she should do about these cards.

            "Maybe Syaoran can help me," Sakura decided. "If there's anyone who can help me here, it will definitely be Syaoran," Sakura added with a smile as she thought of her soon-to-be husband. 

            "I'll talk to him tomorrow after breakfast then," she said to herself.

The next day,

            For the umpteenth time that day, Syaoran's mind had wandered again and he totally forgot about what he was supposed to do. Syaoran glanced around the empty corridor.

            "Where am I heading just now?" Syaoran wondered. It was starting to get frustrating. He knew the reason behind his absent-mindedness lately. "Sakura," he decided. He had never had such problems before she came into his life. He had grown so accustomed to the fact that theirs was a match of convenience and that he would never learn to care for his intended bride. Now that he had met her, his reaction towards her was unsettling.

            "Syaoran!" a voice called. Syaoran turned to see Sakura running towards him. Her face flushed from running.

            "What is it?" Syaoran asked curtly, trying to conceal the battling emotions within him behind a façade of coolness and unaffectedness.

            Sakura 's eyes clouded with hurt by his lack of warmth but she quickly brushed it aside. After all, she did have something important to discuss with him. She took out the cards that she found yesterday and showed it to him.

            Syaoran gasped. It looked so familiar to the legendary Clow Cards in the books except that these cards were pink with slightly different designs on them. "Clow Cards," Syaoran breathed as he reverently touched the cards on Sakura's hands.

            "Clow Cards," Sakura echoed, looking more puzzled than before.         

            "Where did you get this?" Syaoran demanded.

            "The cards are in a bag which Shiefa said was with me when your people found me after the robbery," Sakura replied.

            "Could she be the Card Mistress?" Syaoran wondered. "But why has mother never mentioned it before? Last I remember, they are still looking for the Card Mistress and considering the close ties between my family and hers why do our family not informed of this?"

            Turning to Sakura, Syaoran asked, "Do you know how to use these?"

            "Use?" Sakura repeated. "Are they game cards?"

            "She can't remember," Syaoran realised. Aloud he asked, "Can I have these cards for a while?" He wanted some time to figure out why were the cards in her possession and why no one in his family knew anything about this.

            "Sure," Sakura answered. "Do you know what kind of cards they are?"

            Syaoran smiled. "I have to be sure first. I'll tell you once I found out, alright?" Syaoran said.

            Sakura nodded. "Thanks, Syaoran," she gushed. Instinctively, she hugged him.

            "Mei…uh… Sakura," Syaoran managed, surprised by her uninhibited reaction. It was then Sakura realized what she had done. Awkwardly, she released him and took a step away from him.

            "I'm sorry," she apologised. 

            Syaoran grinned. "Don't be," he said. Then he took a step towards her, and enveloped her in a tight hug. When Syaoran drew back, he was pleased to see a bemused smile on Sakura's face.

            "I'll get back to you on the cards later," he promised and left.

Meiling and Touya

It had been hours since they left the house. Touya glanced back at Meiling. She was looking around at her surroundings, her face expressionless. Never once in the long hours they had traveled had she complained about their grueling journey and for Touya, who had always been in the company of spoilt court ladies, he found her behaviour baffling.

            "She's a strange lady," he muttered.   

            "Who's strange?" Meiling suddenly asked. It was then Touya realised that she had heard him and another glance at her scowling face told him that she suspected he was refferring to her as strange.

            "Uh…no one," Touya answered unconvincingly.

            "I believe you," Meiling said sarcastically.

            "Paranoia doesn't suit you, my sweet," Touya said condescendingly.

            Meiling's heart fluttered at his endearment but she immediately realised that he was probably trying to make her forget about what she heard just now. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She pinched his arm. 

            It was futile though for Touya hardly felt a thing. Instead of howling in pain as she hoped he would be doing, he laughed. That infuriated Meiling into action.

            "Ouch!" Touya cried when Meiling knocked him on the head. "What you do that for?" he asked, annoyed.

            "For laughing at me," Meiling replied in a superior tone.

            "Meiling…Ouch!" Touya warned in a dangerously low voice but his threat went to no avail when Meiling knocked him on the head again. Touya halted his horse and turned his attention to her. He was about to frown at her and deliver a stinging lecture but then she giggled and it was to his undoing. Touya stared at her. After a while, Meiling stopped giggling when she saw him staring at her. Self-consciously, she smoothed her hair behind her ear.

            "You're blushing," Touya remarked, sounding strangely pleased at the realization. That made her blushed even more furiously but she looked him in the eye and pointed out, "But so are you."

            Touya scowled. "I do not," he denied.

            Meiling grinned. "You are," she repeated cheekily.

            "I don't blush," Touya stated curtly.

            "Come on. Why are your cheeks red then?" Meiling teased as she pinched his cheeks. Touya slowly lifted his hands, gently removed her hands from his cheeks and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

            Meiling was motionless while Touya smiled smugly back at her. "You kiss me," she burst out when she recovered from her stupor. Touya rolled his eyes.

            'It's the only way to shut you up. You are getting too noisy," Touya explained.  Meiling fumed but just as she was about to provide a comeback, Touya deftly swung off his horse and helped her down.

            "There is a clearing behind the trees. It is going to get dark soon so we might as well camp here and continue our journey tomorrow," Touya explained. "If we continue our journey now, there is no place for us to camp for the night."

            Meiling sighed. She had never expected the journey to be this strenuous. Meiling took a step forward but Touya's arm which was wrapped around her waist held her back.

            "You might want to wait a while before you start walking," Touya informed her. Meiling gritted her teeth in annoyance at his 'I am more experienced than you, so you should take my advice' attitude.

            "Get your hand off me," she ordered.

            "I don't think you would like that," Touya said, raising his eyebrow skeptically.

            "Let go!" she shouted. She was already exhausted and his teasing attitude was not improving her mood at all.

            "Are you sure?" Touya asked, doubtful.

            "Yes!" Meiling replied, her patience fraying.

            "Don't say I didn't warn you," Touya said with a grin. Then he let go and Meiling who was desperately trying to hang on to her dignity, crumbled. Fortunately, Touya who had expected that to happen, readily wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.

            "Don't say it. Don't say it," she muttered fervently but Touya was not about to cooperate.

            "I told you so," Touya teased, saying the very line Meiling dreaded.

            "You are not accustomed to long journey. You have been on the horse for so long that your legs become weak and it cannot support your sudden body weight," Touya explained.

            Meiling kept silent. "Why do I always appear ignorant and stupid around him?" she wondered. She probably looked like a dolt in front of the only person she had secretly hoped to impress. Why she wanted to impress him was beyond her. He was dictatorial, arrogant and outrageous but yet there were qualities that redeemed him. 

"He is kind, intelligent, noble…" Meiling thought as she mentally listed the qualities that had attracted her to him.

            "Hey, Meiling!" Touya called, interrupting her thoughts. Meiling blinked. Touya had already released her and was now walking towards the clearing. Meiling glared at his retreating back as he called over his shoulder. 

            "Are you coming with me or are you going to stand there woolgathering for the rest of the day?" Touya added.

            "Ughh!" Meiling growled, her pleasant opinions on him disappeared in an instant.

            "I'm coming," Meiling said and ran after him.

Sakura and Syaoran

            "I wonder where Sakura is?" Syaoran wondered. He had spent his whole afternoon researching about Clow Reed's magic and the Clow Cards. If what he read was true, his fiancée should have some kind of key with her that would help her activate her cards. 

            "There you are," Syaoran said when he found Sakura sitting on the swing, looking pensive.

            "Syaoran," Sakura said happily, watching him approached.

            "Here are your cards," Syaoran said as he returned her the cards. Sakura looked questioningly at him. "These are magical cards," he explained.

            "Magic?" Sakura repeated, her disbelief was obvious in her voice.

            "Apparently, these cards belong to you thus making you the chosen Card Mistress. In fact, you have actually converted all these Clow Cards into your own cards. I wonder what they are called now," Syaoran said.

            Sakura's brows knitted in confusion. She hated feeling this lost. Oh, how she wished she had not lost her memory.

            Syaoran sensing Sakura's troubled emotions said reassuringly, "It's alright if you can't remember now. It will all come back to you sooner or later. For now, I just want to know if you have some sort of key with you. A key that might actually activate the cards?"

            Sakura's thoughts immediately drifted to the locket she had on her necklace. She remembered thinking that it had an odd shape for a necklace and it looked like the symbols on the back of the cards.

            "Could it be?" she wondered as she took out her necklace.

            "She is the card mistress," Syaoran decided when he saw the key in Sakura's hands. All doubts that he might be mistaken fled in an instant. "Now, all you have to do is to think about how you are supposed to activate it," he remarked to Sakura.

            Sakura frowned and gripped her key tightly as she concentrated on how she was supposed to make the key work. Somehow, she knew she possessed the power to do it.

            Suddenly, she felt the words flowing through her and she chanted the lines with the ease of someone who had done it for so long. 

            "Mother will need to know about this," he realised as he watched his fiancée in awe.

            Suddenly, he heard Sakura stopped.

            "What's wrong?" Syaoran asked. 

            Sakura shook her head and repeated her chant, "O key which hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form before me, I…"

            Again she stopped and shook her head. Syaoran frowned. She had said her chant so fluently but when she reached that part, she stopped awkwardly. "Reveal thy true form before me, I…" Syaoran repeated, thinking hard. "How about using your name? Meiling," Syaoran suggested.

            Sakura nodded and tried again, " O key which hides the power of the stars, reveal thy true form before me, I, Meiling, command thee under contract. Release!" The key began to glow slightly but then the glow flickered and was gone.

            "We are close but something was not right," Syaoran said. "What could it be?" he wondered.

            "Could it be her name?" Syaoran thought as he watched Sakura repeated her chant over and over again but the result remained the same. "Her name sounds rather awkward in the chant. I'm sure she notices it too," Syaoran realised, noting the way Sakura kept hesitating when she reached her name. Syaoran's mind drifted to the sakura trees nearby. He smiled slightly as he recalled the time when Sakura told him that she was not Meiling and that her real name was Sakura.

Flashback…………..

 Sakura. I think that's my name, Prince Syaoran. It seems so........so right," Sakura said enthusiastically.  
  
Syaoran turned to her. The annoyed look on his face was back. "You are Princess Meiling, not Sakura," he said curtly. "We found you beside the carriage after you were attacked by the gang of robbers. You must have fallen during the attack and hit your head rather hard."  
  
"But," Sakura protested.  
  
"You are Princess Meiling," Syaoran repeated more forcefully. Then his eyes narrowed as he said, "You know something, princess. I think you have not lost your memory after all. Maybe its just an act to escape from this marriage. You pretend you have lost your memory and then try to convince people you are someone else so that you will be free and not get married to me." His voice getting more bitter. "I applaud your pluck, princess. I have never thought of doing such a scheme. Do you find me that abhorrent that you will resort to this to escape marriage with me, princess?" Syaoran asked.

End of flashback………..

            Syaoran sat up. He did not believe her then but what if…Syaoran turned to Sakura who was still working with the key. "She is not the princess I am supposed to marry," Syaoran deduced. There was only one way to find out. His heart thumping with dread and anxiety, he said to Sakura, "Try Sakura instead of Meiling."

            Sakura looked puzzled but she agreed. "O key which hides the power of the stars," she started.

            Syaoran closed his eyes praying that his suspicions would be proven wrong. "If what I suspect is true and the key will be activated, then it will mean that…" Syaoran pondered but he never got to finish his thoughts for he suddenly heard a sound. Syaoran opened his eyes just in time to see a flash of bright pink light coming from Sakura's direction.

To be continued……………..

Hope you like the chapter. Thanks for reading!


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